Passive
by KnuxfanEO
Summary: (Song fic)Knuckles discovers that he is dying of radiation poisoning from the Master Emerald. How does he react to this after wasting his life protecting it?


Passive

Author's note: This is my first atempt at a song fic. Hope you like it. The song "Passive" is by A Perfect Circle, and is featured in their new album "eMOTIVe". It was also in the new movie Constantine, if you got to see it (I didn't!") Anyway, here you go.

Knuckles groaned as he woke up. He felt strange. He had felt this way for several weeks now, getting worse and worse each day. He felt…sick. 'I don't get sick…' he thought to himself, 'The emerald gives me natural immunity to anything. Why do I feel so…' He tried to get up, but had to rely on the support of a column next to the shrine. He stumbled over to it and laid his hands against its glowing surface. "Why do I…feel like this…? Why?" he asked. When no answer came, he became nervous. He had never been sick before. What if something was wrong? "Tikal! Chaos! Anyone!...I'm…I'm asking for…for Chaos now. What is…wrong with me…" "Hey there, treasure hunter," an all-too familiar voice said behind him. He turned to see Rouge, who stood there smiling. "G…go away. If you try and…take my emerald…" "Give it a rest. I told you I gave up on jewels!" she replied. Her eyes widened when she noticed the condition he was in. His body was sagging, swaying back and forth. His breathing was heavy and his eyes were fluttering open and closed. "Hey Knuckles, are you okay?" she asked, taking a step towards him. No, he couldn't look weak. She could take advantage of it and take the emerald. "I'm fine," he said as he brushed past her. She watched as he stumbled a few steps, then screamed as he fell down the stair of the emerald shrine.

Sonic and the others waited patiently for the doctor in the small hospital room. As soon as Rouge had flown Knuckles to the hospital in Station Square, she called them. Sonic glanced up at Knuckles' unconscious form on the hospital bed, but had his attention caught by the doctor as he came in. He asked them to step out of the room with him, and they did so. "This may be hard to hear…but it's unmistakable. Your friend is dying." Amy and Rouge gasped as Sonic and Tails kept silent. "H-How?" Sonic asked, shocked. "Radiation poisoning. All those years of sitting on that shrine with the master emerald are finally coming back to haunt him. On its own, it doesn't give off enough radiation to kill someone, but over long periods of time it can be dangerous. As I see it…he only has a few weeks."

A sudden movement caught their eyes, and they opened the door to see Knuckles staggering backwards, a look of disbelief on his face. "N-no…It…It can't be true…" he muttered, staring at them. "I am truly sorry, but you're as dead as dead can be. I didn't want you to find out this way but-" "NO! It isn't true! The emerald…the emerald will help…like it always has!" he shouted, before jumping out the window.

"_Dead as dead can be," my doctor tells me  
But I just can't believe him, ever the optimistic one  
_

'No….Can't…can't be true…After all I've…done to pro-protect it…Why! Why would you do such a thing to me! I wasted my…my whole life with you…How could…you be my enemy in the end?'

_I'm sure of...your ability...to become...my perfect enemy  
Wake up...and face me, don't play dead...cause maybe  
Someday...I will walk away and say, "You disappoint me,"  
Maybe you're better off this way_

When Knuckles finally reached the shrine he collapsed. He slowly crawled up the stairs until he was at the foot of the emerald. He slowly got up, leaning on it, and whispered weakly, "Please….help me…"

_  
Leaning over you here, cold and catatonic  
I catch a brief reflection...of what you could and might have been  
_

"I could…could have left you…Could have been happy…but I didn't…I…I stayed and…watched over you…Gathered you when…you shattered…Now…I'm asking you…help me…please…"

_It's your right...and your ability  
To become…my perfect enemy…  
_

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP YOU ST-STUPID ROCK! WAKE UUUUP!"

_  
Wake up (we'll catch you) and face me (come on now),  
Don't play dead (don't play dead)  
Cause maybe (because maybe)  
_

"I THOUGHT OF…OF LEAVING SO M-MANY TIMES…I COULD HAVE JUST W-WALKED AWAY!"

_Someday I'll (someday I'll) walk away and say, "You disappoint me,"  
Maybe you're better off this way  
_

Knuckles fell to his knees and sobbed. "W-wasted my…my life on you…and th-this is how you re-repay me?" Suddenly, he heard a voice. He turned to see Shadow, who stood with the others. "Give me your hand," Shadow requested. Reluctantly, Knuckles lifted his wavering palm, which Shadow clasped. Placing his other hand on the master emerald, he shouted, "Chaos Control!", which caused knuckles' body to glow. Slowly the glow faded, and he was able to stand on his own. "I…I can feel my strength again!" he said, smiling happily. The others smiled too, but looked curiously as his smile faded. He turned his back to them and faced the emerald. "Shadow…get them out of here." As if on command, Shadow teleported them away before they could say a thing. He glared at the emerald as one single thought raced through his head. Yes. It was time.

_  
Maybe you're better off this way  
Maybe you're better off this way  
Maybe you're better off this way  
You're better of this; you're better off this;_

Knuckles drew up his fist and shattered it!

_  
Maybe you're better off! _

Wake up (can't you) and face me (come on now),  
Don't play dead (don't play dead)  
Cause maybe (because maybe)  
Someday I'll (someday I'll) walk away and say, "You 'Beep'ing disappoint me!"  
Maybe you're better off this way

The others walked onto where the island had landed in the ocean. On the very edge stood Knuckles, with the emerald fragments beside him. They watched as he cast them into the ocean, letting them sink beneath the waves.

_Go ahead and play dead  
I know that you can hear this  
Go ahead and play dead  
Why can't you turn and face me?_

Sonic walked up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You sure this is for the best?" Knuckles turned away from the edge and said, "I wasted enough of my life on it."

_  
Why can't you turn and face me?  
Why can't you turn and face me?  
Why can't you turn and face me?  
You 'beep'ing disappoint me!_

He was surprised when Rouge hugged him and said, "I'm glad you're okay." "Yeah…I'm gonna be okay," he replied with a smile. As he walked away with them, a new life set before him, he couldn't help but turn back for a moment. "I guarded you my whole life…and you almost took it from me. _You disappoint me_."

But now no evil could become of it. The waves would scatter the shards all over the ocean floor, where it would be a threat to no one. Before turning around to begin his new life he said, "_Maybe_ _you're better off this_ _way_."


End file.
